Current GM Crops

& Transgenic
Animals

Sean Christopher Ricafort

 Genetically Modified Crops

Genetically Modified Cropsare plants used

inagriculture, theDNAof which has been
modified usinggenetic engineeringtechniques.
In most cases, the aim is to introduce a newtrait
to the plant which does not occur naturally in
the species. Examples in food crops include
resistance to certain pests, diseases, or
environmental conditions, reduction of spoilage,
or resistance to chemical treatments (e.g.
resistance to aherbicide), or improving the
nutrient profile of the crop. Examples in non-
food crops include production ofpharmaceutical
agents,biofuels, and other industrially useful
goods, as well as forbioremediation.
 Genetically Modified Crops

GM crops grown today, or under development,

have been modified with varioustraits. These
traits include improvedshelf life,disease
resistance, stress resistance,herbicide
resistance,pest resistance, production of useful
goods such as biofuel or drugs, and ability to
absorb toxins and for use inbioremediationof
pollution. Recently,research and
developmenthas been targeted
toenhancement of cropsthat are locally
important indeveloping countries, such as
insect-resistantcowpeafor Africaand insect-
resistantbrinjal(eggplant).
Genetically Modified Crops
 Genetically Modified Crops

Advantages
Better For The
Environment
Resistance To Disease
Increased Flavor and
Nutrition
Longer Shelf Life
Faster growth of crops

 Genetically Modified Crops

Disadvantages
Allergic Reactions
Not 100%
Environmentally
Friendly
Decreased Antibiotic
Efficacy
New Diseases
Genetically Modified Crops
Examples:
Genetically modified maize was grown for the first
time in the US and Canada in 1997. Two traits are
expressed by todays GM maize cultivars:insect
resistanceandherbicide tolerance.

Rice is a staple food in much of Asia. For

thousands of years, farmers have been
cultivating and breeding rice. Modern plant
breeders are still trying to improve the ability
of rice to defend itself against diseases.

In the late 1980s, the University of Hawaii began

developing a papayacultivarresistant toPapaya
Ringspot Virus.To do this, certain viral genes
encoding capsidproteinswere transferred to the
papaya genome. These viral capsid proteins elicit
 Transgenic Animals

A transgenic animal is one whose

genome has been altered by the
transfer of a gene or genes from
another species or breed.

Transgenesisis the process of

introducing anexogenousgene
called atransgene into aliving
organismso that the organism will
exhibit a new property and transmit
that property to itsoffspring.
Transgenic Animals
 Transgenic Animals

Advantages
Transgenicanimalsare used as
experimental models to perform phenotypic
and for testing inbiomedicalresearch.
agriculture, such as larger sheep that grow
more wool
improvement of animal production quality
Animals can be engineered to require less
food, grow quicker, and leave behind less
 Transgenic Animals

Disadvantages
Transgenic animal project is extremely
expensive.
Can cause extinction of species
some changes in environmental cycles
(Insects not being able to eat their usual
food and needing to find new food sources)
Low survival rate of transgenic animals.
They can be unsafe for human
consumption.
 Transgenic Animals

Examples
Silk-producing Goats: Scientists added cells from silk
spiders to goats. The result was the goats began to
produce strands of silk. The silk is strong, lightweight and
is used to make clothing and other items.
Sheep with More Wool: Transgenic sheep have been
modified to produce more wool.
Milkier Cows: Scientists have also modified the genes of
cows. Some transgenic cows produce more milk. Others
produce milk with lower cholesterol.
Healthier Pigs: Scientists have experimented with the
creation of pigs that are resistant to the flu.
Dolion: One of the rarest transgenic animals, the Dolion is
a dog crossed with a lion.